Holiday Gift Guide for Creatives

‘Tis the season to scramble at the last second because you can’t find the perfect gift for that one person on your list, right?

If that one person is your creative friend, then read below for this gift guide, AKA your saving grace this year! These ideas are on my own wishlist this year, so they’re creative freelancer-approved. They all have purpose and intention, too, so you can rest easy this holiday season knowing that your creative friend will actually be able to use what you get them. And remember — it’s the thought that counts, so no sweat!

Let’s get into it. I’ll also include some links so you can get right into online shopping and ensure your gift is in before Christmas!

01. PRODUCTIVITY ESSENTIALS

Let’s start with the obvious: your creative friends work hard to make magic happen every day. Gift them with little or big things that will help them get through each day and show them that you support their work! You can either go big with the hideously cute & trendy Airpods Max headphones, send them a gift card to Starbucks or their fave local coffee shop, or you could land somewhere in the middle. Regardless, they’ll feel loved and appreciated with the gesture!

Some ideas to support their creativity:

Caffeinate them with adorably branded gift sets from Chamberlain Coffee

Gift them an Apple pen to support their passions and hobbies

Make their work joyful with this cute, retro, clicky-clacky Bluetooth keyboard

02. COZY NECESSITIES

Everyone loves to be comfy, especially your WFH creative friends. Give them everything they need to feel at home in their home! This gift can double as an emergency kit for when the burnout and Sunday scaries come to play.

The cozy must-haves on my own list:

My favorite smiley face slippers

An adorable checkered blanket off Amazon

This chic robe from Brooklinen for self care nights

Any of Homesick’s candles (they all smell so good!)

03. JOURNALS + BOOKS

Creatives use the left side of their brains, too! Books for reading and/or writing are thoughtful and affordable gifts for anyone on your list this year. Gift your creative friend with a journal to help them connect with themselves and avoid imposter syndrome, or a book to encourage them to take a real lunch break.

A few ideas:

The Five Minute Journal by Intelligent Change

Do It For Yourself, a reflection journal filled with design inspo, too

A pocket-sized Moleskine for writing down ideas on the go

Building A Story Brand by Donald Miller

My personal favorite book of 2022, Beach Read by Emily Henry

04. DIGITAL GOODS

This may be a little “unconventional”, but I’m sure your creative friend would be so grateful to receive these gifts! They probably have a wishlist of expenses they have to make or have been wanting to make but haven’t gotten around to it yet. Best to ask them if there’s anything you can help to cover for them — like a yearly subscription or even a course to invest in their skills!

Don’t know where to start? Try these:

Beautiful design mockups from Moyo Studio or Rebecca Berrington

Some fonts they’ve been dying for from an independent foundry like Jen Wagner or Silver Stag

A digital course like Becca Luna’s CEO of Showit (use my code STUDIOALEXIA15 for 15% off!)

Offer to renew one of their subscriptions, like Dubsado or Calendly

05. DESK DECOR

A creative’s best friend is their desk. Why not help them make it feel like home? You can gift them cute little accessories or decorations for them to spruce up their workspace and make it feel like them. Local thrift shops, Etsy, and Urban Outfitters are great places to find thoughtful gifts like these!

Start with these cute ideas:

This lamp from UO

A cute handmade ceramic mug off of Etsy

Disco ball meets Bluetooth speaker (from UO)

A new laptop case (here’s my favorite one from Etsy)

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Creatives — send this to your friends to make their gift-giving a little easier on both of you!

Friends of creatives — when all other ideas fail, some of the greatest gifts you can give your creative friend are appreciating them, encouraging them, and supporting their work. Referring them to your friends is always a kind gesture. (Some Apple headphones would be really nice, too.)

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you from Studio Alexia! ♡